Funny lady Risa Sarachan is no stranger to filling a theatre up with laughter: with an impressive performance resume under her belt, the co-star of hit comedy show Snow White and Cinderella F**king Rage is determined [and well on her to way to] become a household name.
Connect with Risa on Twitter, her official site, and the site she shares with partner Christina.
What’s your favorite cupcake flavor?
I’m allergic to chocolate so I have to eat boring flavors like vanilla with rainbow sprinkles…it’s sad but I take solace in the fact that you can fill cupcakes with fruit or custard fillings to make them ten times better.
What or whom inspired you to pursue a career in comedy?
I just really wanted to be an actress but realized pretty early on that whatever I touched turned comedic, even if it wasn’t supposed to be. When you are doing a scene from Girl Interrupted for your acting class and people are crying with laughter, you kind of figure it out.
If Chuck Norris were to corner you in an alley and challenge you to a duel, what would be your weapon of choice?
I’m going to say a tiny pair of scissors, the kind you might use to trim your own bangs. It’s not about the size of the weapon, it’s about how well you can use it and I can really use those.
What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever heard/seen?
Steve Martin in the movie The Jerk, Cat Juggling. Hands down.
What are some challenges you’ve faced since going down the comedy track and what, in your experience, has made those obstacles worth overcoming?
One challenge I think was finding a comedy partner who shared a similar voice and wanted to work as hard, if not harder than me. Alot of people love the concept of collaborations but aren’t really willing to put in the work, so big ups to Christina for pushing me to work harder and focus more myself.
Which comedienne, dead or alive, would you love to work with/meet?
I would LOVE to work with Mindy Kaling at some point. I just finished reading her book and the way she’s gone about making her career is completely inspiring! It’s also very cool to see a comedienne who is ok with not feeling like she has to act like a dude to be accepted in the comedy world. Mindy has a authentic voice that at times can be vulnerable and sweet but always hilarious.
In what ways do you think you’ve improved or evolved since your first comedy venture?
My first comedy venture was my friends Joey Manderino and David Young filming me in my bedroom making a parody of a dating video called Desperation. It went viral and was featured on the front page of Funny or Die. At the time I had no idea why; it was sort of just like winning the lottery the way that thing blew up (in no small part assisted by their direction and Joey’s editing!), but then I felt like I spent the next couple years trying to figure that out. At this point I’ve developed my own voice and now I feel that I can tell what works and why.
What long-term/short-term goals do you have for your career?
In the short term I hope good things come out of our show Snow White and Cinderella F**king Rage at IO West. This is our third time this year performing the show and we’ve invested alot of energy into making it the funniest and most polished it could be. After that, we film our second season of our webseries Available in a couple months and have a goal of getting it picked up by more sites and continuing to build our audience. That’s where we are now.
Where did the inspiration for Snow White and Cinderella F**king Rage come from?
Christina and I wanted to have an episode of Available where we turn into Disney characters, but to animate it the way we envisioned would have been super expensive. This was the inspiration for the show but we also both felt that doing a live show was the next logical step.
Do you have a specific audience to whom you play/would like to play? Describe that audience, and why/how you’re playing to them.
I’d love to eventually do the show at UCB. We’ve been accepted to perform a spank slot there but the timing just hasn’t quite worked out yet. I’ve been thrilled that the show seems to be accessible to lot of different people. When my guy friends AND lady friends AND parents like it…I feel like I’m doing something right.
What’s the difference between appealing to women and appealing to men?
I think if something is funny it can appeal to everyone. Look at the best sketches from SNL!
What’s your favorite comedy movie or T.V. show of all time?
I’m pretty much tied between The Jerk and the tv show Dinosaurs. Remember “not-the-mama”? That baby dinosaur brought the LOLz.
When you’re not writing/performing comedy, you’re…
Working, acting and auditioning in New York City. When I’m not doing that you can find me eating fish tacos on the High Line.
What would the title of your autobiography be?
I Gave Myself a Happy Ending. It’s the title of Snow White’s Hard Knocks Memoir she pens and I think I’d steal it but alter the question mark at the end to a period. It’s funny and it doesn’t take itself too seriously and I’m all about the concept that we make things happen for ourselves instead of waiting for them to come to us.
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And now an excerpt from that biography:
Risa has a BFA from NYU Experimental Theatre Wing and UCB Training. Credits include: Snow White and Cinderella F**king Rage (Hollywood Fringe), Billy Witch (Studio 42), Your Boyfriend May Be Imaginary (The Management Theatre Company), Boyfriend Scarf, Ballad of All-Beef Patty, other assorted short plays (Ensemble Studio Theatre), Deactivated (Theatre for the New City), Serious Hammering (PS 122), BANG/whimper (NY Fringe), Learning to Love Me More (Ontological Hysterical), Claire and Daniel (Atlantic Theatre Stage 2), The History of My Domestication (TigerMilk Collective). Film/TV: My Friends Told Me About You (Wholphin Collection), hItec! and assorted Comedy Central. Comedy webseries: Inconvenient Interviews with Risa.
